Patience paid off for Evans

Patience has finally paid off for Steve Evans after he added Jordan Bowery to the Millers ranks in a club record deal on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Millers after an undisclosed fee was agreed for the striker.

Evans revealed he has been a long-term admirer of the Nottingham-born striker, tracking his progress throughout last season.

“I have seen him play for the Villa first-team, but also watched him play for their reserve side a number of times,” Evans told www.themillers.co.uk

“We wanted to take him on loan last season and we did ask the question but he had the chance to play Championship football with Doncaster.

“He was a handful all day during that game and since then he has kicked on. Again he is our type of player. He is young, hungry, he has great desire and he wants to play football.

“He has joined us with a real sense of wanting to work hard, do well for the club and embrace The Championship. We have dome remarkably well to get him here and I am looking forward to seeing him in a Rotherham United shirt.”

The former Chesterfield man, who netted against the Millers in a 1-1 draw in 2012, has been vying for a starting place with Internationals of the calibre of Christian Benteke, Andreas Weimann and Gabriel Agbonlahor, a situation Evans believes will only stand him in good stead.

“He has trained with some world class players on a daily basis and that can only have been a great benefit to his development,” added Evans.

“He is coming here from an extremely hard level of competition, trying to take the starting shirt off the likes of Agbonlahor and Benteke isn’t easy, so he is not afraid of a challenge that is for sure.”